Barnes & NobleShadow of the Sith (Star Wars) by Adam Christopher

Great Ideas That Don't Go Anywhere

A core tenet of the “Star Wars” expanded universe is its ability to take underexplored ideas and characters from the films and expand them into something more satisfying. And it feels pretty safe to suggest that the sequel trilogy could greatly benefit from such expansion. Which is exactly what Adam Christopher's “Shadow of the Sith” tries to do. “Shadow of the Sith” dives headfirst into some of the sequel trilogy’s biggest questions. How did Palpatine orchestrate his resurrection? What happened to Rey’s parents before they died? Who killed them? And what were some of the characters from the Original Trilogy up to during all of this? On the surface, “Shadow of the Sith” bursts with captivating ideas and concepts. The problem is that it tries to tackle too many things at once, often completely losing its focus and failing to turn any of its ideas into a truly engaging narrative. Nearly two decades after the fall of the Empire, Luke Skywalker senses a growing darkness in the Force - visions of a dark, dead planet. Elsewhere, a family desperately searches for somewhere safe to hide from those who would do them harm. But little do they know, an ancient Sith cult has put a bounty on their heads. Or, more specifically, on their daughter, Rey's. A bounty that Ochi of Bestoon is eager to collect. And elsewhere, still, Lando Calrissian distracts himself from his fruitless search to find his missing daughter. But while playing a game of Sabbac, he overhears the mysterious Ochi explaining recruiting a crew of bounty hunters. Lando’s quest to help this family and, if he's lucky, find a hint of his missing daughter draws Luke away from his newly-founded Jedi temple, and into the fray. And soon, it's a race against time as Luke and Lando try to help this family escape the shadow of the Sith. Overall, “Shadow of the Sith” is a mixed bag of a read. For everything about it that works well, there's something else that keeps it from being as good as it could've been. But first, the positives. “Shadow of the Sith” does a lot of work to help bridge the gap between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Those who've been longing for more of Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Master, will find a lot to like. This is a Luke who’s confident in his abilities in the Force and eager to share that knowledge with others while remaining dedicated to learning as much as he can. Lando fans will similarly enjoy this glimpse at his actions between trilogies, especially those who felt underwhelmed by his appearance in “The Rise of Skywalker.” But most impressive is the book’s exploration of Rey’s parents - Dathan and Miramir. For how crucial they are to Rey’s arc in the sequel trilogy, we know surprisingly little about them. And it's nice to finally get a glimpse behind that curtain here. So, what's the problem with the book? Put simply, it tries to do too many different things all at the same time. It's a Luke and Lando team up, following them on a quest to both stop the Sith and help a family in need. But it's also a story about that family, Rey’s family, and it tries to delve deeper into who they are, and what makes them tick. But it's also a story about Ochi of Bestoon, a character briefly mentioned in “The Rise of Skywalker,” and how and why he’s hunting down Rey’s family. And it's a story about an ancient Sith force trying to regain a foothold in the galaxy through an old mask and a young woman named Kiza. Any one of those stories could've easily made for a compelling novel. Even the combination of a couple of them might've been enjoyable. But cramming all of them together in the same book? It's too much. Despite the ways Christopher tries to connect these storylines, it rarely feels like they needed to be connected. And instead of expanding the “Star Wars” universe, it does the thing the Prequel Trilogy often did and contracts it. Was there any real reason for Luke and Lando to be involved at all with Rey’s past? Christopher tries to use Lando's attempts to save Rey and her family as a way for him to make up for being unable to find his daughter after her kidnapping. But surely a more compelling story for Lando would've been to explore the immediate aftermath of said kidnapping, an event that's hinted at throughout this story (and in “The Rise of Skywalker”) but continues to go without exploration. And the bulk of Luke’s storyline feels so disconnected from Lando and Dathan/Miramir’s that it makes you question why it's part of this book at all. Additionally, there's constantly so much going on all at the same time that you're never able to stay with one storyline long enough to properly get invested in it. There's little time for any meaningful character development after the first third of the book - give or take. Instead, it often feels like you're just reading a bunch of information, a collection of checkboxes getting ticked off, instead of a compelling story. There's so much going on but very little happens. Because at its heart, “Shadow of the Sith” isn't really telling its own story, but rather acting as a prelude for another story. A necessary prelude, to be sure, but a prelude nonetheless. But because of that, the book primarily has to spin its wheels setting up other stories instead of truly telling its own. And not only does “Shadow of the Sith” not stand on its own, but it frequently ends up being almost wholly inaccessible to a casual fan. Despite Christopher’s fairly solid exposition, several major characters in the book are completely unfamiliar to those who only watch the movies. And while Christopher gives you about as much as you need to know for the story to work, it always feels like something’s missing. And not in the fun way that prompts you into diving further into the expanded universe, but in the frustrating way that makes it harder to get invested in the story you're reading. Those who are familiar with those characters, like Ochi and Kiza, who've had tons of stories in other expanded universe media will be delighted by their appearances here. But for everyone else, it might be a bit less appealing. I really wanted to enjoy “Shadow of the Sith.” I've enjoyed a lot of the other books in the current “Star Wars” EU. But “Shadow of the Sith” just didn't quite work for me. While there are some captivating ideas scattered throughout the novel, everything feels a bit too disjointed for any of those ideas to end up being satisfyingly explored. The book constantly jumps between nearly half a dozen POV characters, hindering both the novel's pacing and the reader's ability to truly connect with the novel's characters. And as for the plot, there's simultaneously too much going on and nowhere near enough to support the nearly 500-page length. So, while I enjoyed parts of the book, I can't say I enjoyed it as a whole. I'm sure some fans will absolutely adore this book, and more power to them. But it just wasn't quite my cup of tea.